1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 231 Enduring

At the border between Group 1 and Group 2 in the northern area, Chen Jiazhi and Yi Dinggan, wearing straw hats, watched the two groups work.

It was cool in the morning, but became humid and hot in the afternoon. Chen Jiazhi had already taken off his long-sleeved shirt, but he was wearing jeans and it was a bit hot, so he had to bend over and roll up his pants.

"I told you a long time ago that it would be hot in the afternoon and you should wear shorts, but you didn't believe me."

"Wearing two layers on top and shorts on the bottom, don't you think it looks incongruous?"

"As long as it's practical~" Yi Dinggan was a little smug, then asked, "Huang Chuan and Yan Hao went to get the seeds, why haven't they come back yet?"

"What's the rush? I'll definitely be back today."

"I'm worried that if it gets late, it will affect my ability to leave work on time. I was planning to play a couple of rounds with my dad."

Chen Jiazhi glanced at him and said, "You're so enthusiastic. Right now, working at the market is more important."

"Isn't that what you're here for?" Yi Ding chuckled dryly. "It's been a long time since I've seen you so serious. There's definitely no problem."

Chen Jiazhi: "I'm telling you to watch carefully and learn well, not to have fun."

"Pretty much the same idea~"

"Not even close!"

The progress of Group 1 and Group 2 in the northern area is different.

The northern group, which is progressing faster, plans to plant late-season Chinese cabbage, with vegetable beds 1.4m wide, 0.2m high or more, and furrows 0.2m wide.

With the workers' labor, the ridges gradually took shape, and as you looked around, they became increasingly clear and refreshing.

Qi Yongfeng's second group plans to plant snow peas. The land is still being rotary tilled, and the depth of soil pulverization should not be less than 12cm. After mixing in organic fertilizer, it looks good.

Although the snow pea beds are also flat beds running east-west, they need to be raised on high ridges.

The specifications for land preparation and ridging are: riddle height 0.55m, riddle width 1.2m, and ditch width 0.5m. The amount of work is far too much.

Based on the current situation, a strong laborer could probably ridge about 0.2 mu (approximately 0.13 acres) per day using a shovel.

Even 100 workers can only cultivate 20 mu (approximately 3.3 hectares) in a day.

"At this rate, even with 200 workers, it would take seven or eight days to rid 300 acres of snow peas."

"It takes half a day to dry the seeds and two days to treat them with pesticides in a sealed container. So, it's just right to sow on the 1st."

Chen Jiazhi said, "Director Yi, can you find a way to catch up on this progress?"

Yi Dinggan thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we rent a few water buffaloes and use them to plow the ridges?"

"You're so smart."

“I think so too. It’s amazing that you came up with such a high ridge,” Yi Dinggan said. “Zheng Zhong and Lao Guo both said they’ve never seen such a high ridge for growing snow peas.”

"..." Chen Jiazhi: "If you want to pursue high yields, you have to follow my method. It's not so easy to get three or four thousand catties of snow peas per mu."

Yi Dinggan nodded: "That makes sense. Generally, a yield of more than 2,000 catties per mu for snow peas is considered high. Your requirement of 3,000 to 4,000 catties per mu is a bit too high."

Wanting to pursue efficiency? It's not that simple!

Snow peas are taproot crops, and a bed height of 50cm or more can ensure that their taproots can grow as deep as possible under conditions of loose soil and sufficient water and fertilizer.

The bed surface is 1.2m wide, which is also to ensure that its lateral roots are as numerous and dispersed as possible.

At the same time, this width is the optimal width for field management and harvesting. It allows for proper spraying and fertilization without stepping on the ridges, and the pods can be reached easily during harvesting. It also leaves room for the installation of small greenhouses.

This is a high-yield pea preparation and furrowing method that has been repeatedly verified in later generations.

Moreover, planting earlier allows for a longer harvest period before the arrival of humid weather, resulting in higher yields!

"I can't rely on you anymore. Indeed, you have to rely on yourself in everything!"

"You have a plan?" Yi Dinggan asked suspiciously.

"Let's subcontract the work."

How do you wrap it?

"How about 12 yuan per mu?"

12*300=3600元，200*0.2*7.5*12也等于3600元。

Yi Ding thought for a moment and asked doubtfully, "The total cost is the same, would anyone be willing to do it?"

Chen Jiazhi said, "They don't know that they can only work 0.2 mu a day. How can eating from the communal pot be the same as farming on their own?"

After a pause, Chen Jiazhi said, "If all else fails, we can raise the price a bit more, to 15 yuan per mu, and find some temporary workers. There are plenty of people willing to do this kind of work."

Yi Dinggan touched his get off work clothes and thought for a moment before asking, "What if someone brings a water buffalo to the ridge?"

"Huh?" Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "As long as the requirements can be met, whether it's manpower, oxen, or machinery, it's fine."

"You really know how to stir things up!" Yi Dinggan said, puffing on his cigarette. "Should I call them over now and we can discuss this together?"

"Okay, let them come. The seeds have arrived too. Go and inform them. I'll head back now."

Chen Jiazhi had already seen the white light truck drive from the road into the office building's courtyard.

"Manager, there are 1240 jin of snow pea seeds here. They all came from Taiwan. This is 40 jin for you."

Upon seeing Chen Jiazhi return, Huang Chuan, who was carrying seeds, brought out a large, separate bag of seeds.

Chen Jiazhi stepped forward, opened the container, and scooped out a handful of seeds. They were similar in shape to ordinary peas, each one large and plump.

"good."

Huang Chuan pointed to a blue eagle logo and said, "These are all original Taiwanese jadeite packaging labels, unlike the locally renamed Jadeite No. 76!"

"Oh?"

After asking a few questions, Chen Jiazhi learned that Qizhen No. 76 was a variety cultivated in Taiwan in 1980. Ten years ago, Hong Kong businessmen smuggled it into Guangdong and renamed it Emerald No. 76.

However, the seeds have now been officially introduced and registered, so they are legal and compliant, and the price did not exceed the budget.

Bags of seeds were unloaded and put into the warehouse. Huang Chuan worked quickly, sweating profusely and getting his clothes dirty.

Driver Yan Hao was also moving things, but he was moving much slower.

After Chen Jiazhi put the seeds from the Dongxiang vegetable market into the passenger seat of Yuejin, he also helped unload the goods.

After unloading was completed, the team leaders arrived at the warehouse.

Chen Jiazhi then mentioned the task of ridging 300 mu of snow peas, which could be undertaken by market workers.

The preparation of the bok choy beds will be paused for now. Two months is plenty of time, especially since the 100 mu (approximately 6.7 hectares) in the northern section is almost finished. Let's focus our efforts on harvesting the snow peas first.

The contract price was set at 15 yuan per mu, allocated by the team leader, and the working hours during the contract period were flexible...

It's not hard to understand why Chen Jiazhi and Yi Dinggan will remain on site.

After discussing the contracting process, Chen Jiazhi reiterated the precautions for mulching and sowing.

Mulching is mainly for covering weeds, but gaps should be left in the seedbed for sowing and fertilization...

The seeds are sun-dried, mixed, and sealed for 48 hours. Chen Jiazhi personally oversees this process.

The purpose of this measure is to ensure that the seeds sown are non-toxic, which can significantly delay the onset of diseases such as powdery mildew.

Even if the rainy season comes next year, the harvest can continue for a while longer.

After the seeds are treated, they will be distributed to the group leaders.

Chen Jiazhi uses dry seeding and sowing, with a seed rate of 1.5-2 kg per mu.

The method of row sowing is adopted, in which a straight line is sown in the middle of the prepared ridge.

Sow only one row per bed, with 3 seeds every 8cm, and then cover with 2-3cm of soil.

"Have you memorized everything?"

"remember!"

“Come on, Yongfeng, repeat it once. You shouted the loudest, so you seem very confident.”

"Come on, come on!"

"it is good!"

"Hahaha, Yongfeng's got guts!"

After he finished speaking, Chen Jiazhi asked a question as a formality, but Qi Yongfeng shouted so loudly that he was made to come out and say something again.

Although I stumbled a bit while speaking, I remembered the key points.

After all, he has said it repeatedly since the first meeting after his return.

However, we still need to keep an eye on things on-site.

Because they are all farmers, each person has their own understanding of farming and can grow vegetables.

But Chen Jiazhi doesn't need any other planting methods; everyone must follow his standards.

"Brother Yi, keep an eye on things. I'm going back to Dongxiang, and I might not be back for dinner tonight."

"Okay, go ahead."

After an impromptu meeting, it was as if a summary and learning meeting had been held ahead of schedule.

Chen Jiazhi planned to send the snow pea seeds to Ao Dehai first.

Starting up the long-unused Yuejin 131 light truck, the engine noise took him a while to get used to.

After driving onto the provincial highway, Chen Jiazhi unexpectedly saw Li Xiu and Peng Guozhen bringing their son to the market.

Li Xiu, wearing a long skirt and holding a camera, took a picture of a row of vegetable plots in the northern part of the area.

"Di~"

Upon hearing the horn, Li Xiu and Peng Guozhen both turned around, saw him, and jogged over.

Chen Jiazhi called out, "I'm going to Dongxiang. I might not be back for dinner tonight, so don't wait for me!"

"Good~"

"I go first."

Li Xiu quickly snapped a photo and nodded in satisfaction. That brief moment in profile was quite handsome; the photo must have turned out well.

...

"Mr. Chen, what brings you here today?"

The banyan tree is still lush and verdant, and besides Hong Zhong, there are now three or five elderly people playing cards under it.

Chen Jiazhi looked around the agricultural supply store, which hadn't changed much, and said, "Come over here and let's talk about credit."

"Buy on credit?" Hong Zhong said firmly, "I don't do that!"

A dozen minutes later, Hong Zhong smiled and said goodbye to Chen Jiazhi.

"Mr. Chen, take care. You can settle your bill every two months from now on."

"No, monthly settlement is enough."

Although Dongxiang Market had purchased enough bulk goods, there were still many miscellaneous items that Ao Dehai needed to purchase on short notice.

As for credit?

Chen Jiazhi has launched the Jiangxin Vegetable Market. Would you like to do business in this 600-acre market?

Just put the bait here and let the fish fish.

He also left a landline number where Hongzhong could be found nearby, so he could contact him if needed.

When we arrived at the Dongxiang vegetable market, the workers had already gone home because there wasn't much work left in the fields. The bok choy would have to wait a few more days before it could be planted, and the snow pea seeds were still nowhere to be found.

"Boss, I've never grown snow peas before!"

After giving the seeds to Ao Dehai, a new problem arose: Ao Dehai had no experience in growing snow peas.

The seedbed was prepared according to the size of bok choy; it will need to be modified to grow snow peas.
Chen Jiazhi had to spend another hour teaching and then go to the field to prepare the ridges.

The process, timing, and dosage of pesticides for sun-drying, seed dressing, and sowing must also be written down in detail.

We also have to deal with Xue Jun. Chen Jiazhi promised to take him to the market, but now we're out of vegetables.
We had no choice but to let him work as a freelancer for now, letting him go to the wholesale market whenever he had free time to get market information.

After finishing his tasks, by the time he finished dinner and left the Dongxiang vegetable market, it was already late at night.

"All difficulties must be overcome through perseverance."

On the bus, Chen Jiazhi encouraged himself, thinking that without his ability to comfort himself, he probably wouldn't have made it this far.

(End of this chapter)